Accused Leaker Loses Appeal Seeking Pretrial Jail Release

This June 2017 photo released by the Lincoln County (Ga.) Sheriff's Office, shows Reality Winner. Winner is being held for federal authorities at the Lincoln County, Ga., jail. (Lincoln County (Ga.) Sheriff's Office via AP)
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The Associated Press30 Nov 2017

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A woman charged with leaking U.S. secrets has lost an appeal of a federal magistrate's order that she remain jailed until trial.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall ruled Monday the lower court correctly decided in October that releasing 25-year-old Reality Winner on bail would risk "harm to national security."

Winner is a former Air Force linguist who worked as a National Security Agency contractor in Augusta, Georgia, when she was charged in June with leaking a classified U.S. report to an unidentified news organization.

Authorities haven't described the document. Winner's arrest was announced the same day The Intercept reported on a classified NSA report on Russian hackers and the 2016 election.

Winner's lawyers argued she served admirably in the military and was only charged with one criminal count.